Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 281

mvp-comment-86-1 ἐξήγαγ’ ¹

mvp-comment-86-2 οὐ γὰρ ἄν ²

mvp-comment-87-1 νήφων ἀοίνοις ³

mvp-comment-88-1 ἀσκέπαρνον ⁴

mvp-comment-89-1 βίου … πέρασιν … καὶ καταστροφήν τινα ⁵

mvp-comment-89-2 ὀμφὰς ⁶

mvp-comment-90-1 μειόνως ἔχειν ⁷

mvp-comment-91-1 μόχθοις λατρεύων ⁸

mvp-comment-92-1 ἴτ’ ⁹

mvp-comment-92-2 γλυκεῖαι ¹⁰

mvp-comment-92-3 Σκότου ¹¹

mvp-comment-93-1 Παλλάδος ¹²

mvp-comment-94-1 εἴδωλον ¹³

mvp-comment-94-2 οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γ’ ¹⁴

mvp-comment-95-1 The grove being close to the village, the man of the place has done his errand quickly, and the elders of Colonus are already heard approaching (cp. 78 ).

mvp-comment-96-1 χρόνῳ ¹⁵

mvp-comment-96-2 ἐπίσκοποι ¹⁶

mvp-comment-97-1 καὶ σύ μ’ ἐξ ὁδοῦ πόδα κρύψον ¹⁷

mvp-comment-98-1 τῶνδ’ … ἐκμάθω τίνας λόγους ἐροῦσιν ¹⁸

mvp-comment-99-1 ἐν γὰρ τῷ μαθεῖν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-100-1 τῶν ποιουμένων ²⁰

mvp-comment-101-1 ὅρα ²¹

mvp-comment-101-2 τίς ἄρ’ ἦν; ²²

mvp-comment-101-3 ναίει ²⁴

mvp-comment-102-1 ἐκτόπιος ²⁵

mvp-comment-103-1 ἀκορέστατος ²⁶

mvp-comment-104-1 This verse is corrupt in the MSS., but two things seem clear: (1) there is no reason to suspect προσδέρκου : (2) the singular λεῦσσε must be restored, and placed after προσδέρκου . The antistrophic verse (153) is

. A long syllable is then wanted to complete the verse προσδέρκου, λεῦσσε . Hermann's νιν has been generally adopted. But λεῦσσε νιν could only mean " see him": not, " look for him": λεύσσειν τινά could not stand for ζητεῖν τινα . The MS. αὐτὸν was prob. a gloss which came in after προσδέρκου and λεῦσσε had been transposed; and the plur. λεύσσετε may have arisen from λεῦσσε δή . In 135 ὅν is governed by γνῶναι , not by λεύσσων : and in Aesch. Eum. 255 ( v.l. ), the sense is, "scan all the ground." Cp. Ai. 890 ("'tis cruel," the Chorus say, baffled in their quest) .

mvp-comment-105-1 προσπεύθου ²⁷

mvp-comment-106-1 πλανάτας ²⁸

mvp-comment-107-1 προσέβα γὰρ οὐκ ἄν ²⁹

mvp-comment-108-1 ἄλσος ἐς ³⁰

mvp-comment-109-1 ἀμαιμακετᾶν ³¹

mvp-comment-110-1 καὶ παραμειβόμεσθ’ κ.τ.λ. ³²

mvp-comment-110-2 τὸ τᾶς ἐφάμου στόμα φροντίδος ἱέντες ³³

mvp-comment-111-1 ἀφώνως ³⁴

mvp-comment-112-1 After ἱέντες we may place either (1) a point,—making τὰ δὲ νῦν begin a new sentence: or (2) merely a comma,— taking

(129) as still the object to ἅζονθ’ : (1) is best.

mvp-comment-113-1 οὐδὲν ³⁵

mvp-comment-114-1 ὃν ³⁶

mvp-comment-115-1 μοι ³⁷

mvp-comment-115-2 ναίει ³⁸

mvp-comment-116-1 ἐκεῖνος ³⁹

mvp-comment-116-2 φωνῇ γὰρ ὁρῳ ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-117-1 ὁρᾶν, κλύειν ⁴¹

mvp-comment-118-1 προσίδητ’ ἄνομον ⁴²

mvp-comment-119-1 The hiatus allows Ζεῦ to be short.

mvp-comment-119-2 ἀλεξῆτορ ⁴³

mvp-comment-120-1 οὐ πάνυ μοίρας πρώτης ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-120-2 πρώτης ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-120-3 οὐ πάνυ ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-121-1 ἔφοροι ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-122-1 δηλῶ δ’ ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-122-2 ἀλλοτρίοις ὄμμ ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-123-1 Oedipus is indeed old and worn (110) : but μέγας contrasts the man of mature age with the girl, his defenceless guide (752) . Cp. Od. 2.313 (Telemachus)

( full-grown ).

mvp-comment-123-2 σμικροῖς ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-123-3 ὥρμουν ⁵¹

mvp-comment-124-1 ἐή ⁵²

mvp-comment-124-2 ἀλαῶν ὀμμάτων ⁵³

mvp-comment-125-1 φυτάλμιος ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-126-1 =120

. In regard to L's reading, μακραίων τέ θ’ ⁵⁵ ὡς ἐπεικάσαι, note these points: (1) ὡς is wrong, as the metre shows, (2) τ’ is certainly right. We should not read, with Campb., δυσαίων; μακραίων τις, ἐπεικάσαι , because the thought turns on the linking of δυσαίων with μακραίων , the chief stress falling (as oft. in Greek) on the second: thou art old as well as hapless: i.e. thou hast borne thy woes long. (3) ἔθ’ may, I think, be rejected, as too weak. (4) How, then, is the short syllable to be supplied? ( a ) We might read;— μακραίων θ’, ὅσ’ ἐπεικάσαι: cp. Thuc. 6.25 , ( b ) μακραίων τέ τις , εἰκάσαι: cp. O. T. 82 . I prefer ( a ), since all MSS. have ἐπεικάσαι .

mvp-comment-127-1 (

mvp-comment-127-2 μάν ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-127-3 προσθήσει ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-128-1 περᾷς ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-129-1 ἀλλ’ ἵνα … μὴ προπέσῃς ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-129-2 προπέσῃς ἐν νάπει ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-129-3 ἀφθέγκτῳ ⁶²

mvp-comment-130-1 οὗ κάθυδρος κρατὴρ συντρέχει ῥεύματι μειλιχίων ποτῶν ⁶³

mvp-comment-130-2 μειλιχίων π. ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-130-3 συντρέχει ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-131-1 The τῶν of L and most MSS. cannot be right. To be on one's guard against a thing is always φυλάσσομαί τι , never τινος . In Thuc. 4.11

= acting cautiously on account of the ships (where Classen cp.

χαλεπῶς φέρειν τινός,

1. 77 ): in Aesch. PV 390

τούτου φυλάσσου μήποτ’ ἀχθεσθῇ κέαρ

, join . The v.l. points to τό , which in this parenthetic warning= ( ) rather than ὅ . τόν (referring to ) is less good; and τῷ ("wherefore") would be weak.

mvp-comment-132-1 ἐρατυ^/ει ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-133-1 οἴσεις ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-133-2 φέρειν λόγον πρὸς ἐμὰν λέσχαν ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-134-1 ἀβάτων ⁷¹

mvp-comment-135-1 ἵνα πᾶσι νόμος ⁷²

mvp-comment-136-1 ἀπερύκου ⁷³

mvp-comment-137-1 ποῖ τις φροντίδος ἔλθῃ ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-137-2 ἔλθῃ ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-138-1 ἀστοῖς ἴσα χρὴ μελετᾶν ⁷⁶

mvp-comment-139-1 Since κἀκούοντας suits both metre and sense, it seems more likely that this was the reading from which, by a scribe's mistake, κοὐκ ἀκούοντας arose, than that

conceals some other participle (such as or ). It is hard to see why Herm. thought the to be necessary here,—common though it is (see on O. T. 58

γνωτὰ κοὐκ ἄγνωτα

). After χρὴ μελετᾶν , too, we should expect , not ; the latter supposes that and its partic. form one word. κοὐκ ἄκοντας (B and Campbell) would mean, —surely a weak sense. The existence of this as the only v.l. confirms κἀκούοντας .

mvp-comment-140-1 καὶ δή ⁷⁷

mvp-comment-141-1 μὴ … ἀδικηθῶ ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-142-1 σοὶ ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-143-1 τῶνδ’ ἑδράνων ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-144-1 ἄξει ⁸¹

mvp-comment-145-1 L's ἔτ’ οὖν ἔτι προβῶ; metrically answers to

in 194 . The choice seems to lie between ἔτ’ οὖν; and προβῶ; The latter might easily have been added to explain the former: and ἔτ’ οὖν is not too abrupt, since πρόσθιγέ νύν μου (173) has already marked the beginning of his forward movement. ἔτι βαῖνε seems better than ἐπίβαινε in the case of a blind man advancing step by step , and asking at each step whether he has come far enough. This is well expressed by For before , cp. Ant. 612

το— πρίν

.

mvp-comment-146-1 After ἀΐεις three verses have been lost (the 1st and 3rd for Ant., the 2nd for Oed.), answering to 197 πάτερ — 199 ἅρμοσαι : and after ᾇ σ’ ἄγω (183) a verse for Oed. answering to 202

. See Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-147-1 μάν ⁸²

mvp-comment-147-2 ὧδ’ ⁸³

mvp-comment-147-3 ἀμαυρῷ κώλῳ ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-148-1 τόλμα … σέβεσθαι ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-148-2 ξεῖνος ἐπὶ ξένης ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-149-1 ὦ τλάμων ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-150-1 τέτροφεν ἄφιλον ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-151-1 ἄν ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-151-2 εἴποιμεν … ἀκούσαιμεν ⁹⁰

mvp-comment-151-3 ἄν ⁹¹

mvp-comment-151-4 εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες ⁹²

mvp-comment-152-1 καὶ μὴ χρ. πολ. ⁹³

mvp-comment-153-1 αὐτοῦ ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-153-2 αὐτοπέτρου βήματος ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-154-1 πόδα κλίνῃς ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-155-1 ἦ ἑσθῶ; ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-155-2 λέχριός γ’ … ὀκλάσας ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-155-3 βραχὺς ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-155-4 ἄκρου ¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-155-5 λᾶος ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-156-1 ἐμὸν τόδ’ ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-157-1 δύσφρονος ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-158-1 τλάμων ¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-158-2 χαλᾷς ¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-159-1 τίς ὁ πολ. ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-159-2 τίν’ ἂν … πατρίδ’ ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-160-1 Oed. replies to their second question by ἀπόπτολις , which is almost an exclamation; — "I have no πατρίς now": he deprecates their first question ( τίς ἄγει; ) altogether. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1410 (the Argive elders to Clytaemnestra)

. Soph. has ἀπόπτολις in O. T. 1000 (dialogue) and Tr. 647 (lyr.). Cp. 1357.

mvp-comment-161-1 μή, μή μ’ ἀνέρῃ ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-162-1 Wunder's correction of the MS. δεινὰ to αἰνὰ is required by the Ionic measure ( uu | - uu ): see Metr. Analysis.

mvp-comment-162-2 φύσις ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-163-1 γεγώνω ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-163-2 τίνος εἶ σπέρματος ¹¹²

mvp-comment-163-3 πατρόθεν ¹¹³

mvp-comment-164-1 τί πάθω … ; ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-165-1 ἐπ’ ἔσχατα βαίνεις ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-166-1 Hermann's μέλλετον (for the MS. μέλλετ’ ) is fitting, since Oed. and Ant. have just been speaking together; and is clearly better than μέλλετέ γ’ (Triclinius) or μέλλομεν (suggested by Elms.). The sing. τάχυνε rightly follows, since it is from Oed. alone that a reply is sought.

mvp-comment-166-2 μακρὰ ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-167-1 Λαΐου ἴστε τιν’ ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-168-1 The family patronymic was taken from Labdacus (the father of Laïus), though the line was traced directly up to Cadmus, father of Polydorus and grandfather of Labdacus ( O. T. 267 ; Her. 5.59 ).

mvp-comment-169-1 The relat. clause ὅσ’ αὐδῶ is most simply taken as representing an accus., governed by δέος ἴσχετε μηδὲν as= μὴ δειμαίνετε (rather than a genitive depending on δέος ): Tr. 996

: Dem. De Fals. Legat. § 81

ὅ γε δῆμος ὁ τῶν Φωκέων οὕτω κακῶς...διάκειται, ὥστε...τεθνάναι τῷ φόβῳ...τοὺς Φιλίππου ξένους

: Aesch. Theb. 289

μέριμναι ζωπυροῦσι τάρβος ¹¹⁸

τὸν ἀμφιτειχῆ λεών

: Eur. Ion 572

τοῦτο κἄμ’ ἔχει πόθος

. Cp. below, 583

, 1120

. In such instances the acc. might also, however, be taken as one of "respect."

mvp-comment-170-1 The MSS. give the one word δυσμορος to Oed., as uttered by him between the exclamations of the Chorus. It thus marks his despair at their refusal to hear him. There is dramatic force in the sentence of expulsion (226) being the first articulate utterance of the Chorus after the disclosure which has appalled them.

mvp-comment-171-1 ποῖ καταθήσεις; ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-172-1 οὐδενὶ μοιριδία τίσις ἔρχεται ¹²⁰

mvp-comment-172-2 ὧν ¹²¹

mvp-comment-172-3 With Wunder's ἃν some construe:— οὐδενὶ τὸ τίνειν ἃ ἂν προπάθῃ ἔρχεται μοιριδία τίσις , "for no one retaliation becomes (= γίγνεται ) a fate-doomed punishment": but could the τίσις itself thus stand for the cause of the τίσις ? The ὧν of the MSS. is confirmed by other passages where, instead of an acc. governed by the infin., we have a gen. depending on another word, and then the infin. added epexegetically: El. 542

: Plat. Crito 52B

οὐδ’ ἐπιθυμία σε ἄλλης πόλεως οὐδ’ ἄλλων νόμων ἔλαβεν εἰδέναι

: Rep. 443 B

ἀρχόμενοι τῆς πόλεως οἰκίζειν

.

mvp-comment-173-1 ἀπάτα δ’ ¹²²

mvp-comment-173-2 ἀπάτα ἑτέρα ¹²³

mvp-comment-173-3 παραβαλλ ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-174-1 ἑδράνων ¹²⁷

mvp-comment-175-1 χρέος … προσάψῃς ¹²⁸

mvp-comment-176-1 αἰδόφρονες ¹²⁹

mvp-comment-176-2 ἀλλ’ ¹³⁰

mvp-comment-176-3 This whole

of Antigone (237 — 253) , with the tetrastichon of the Chorus (254 — 257) , was rejected by some of the ancient critics, acc. to the schol. on L: But, as the schol. rightly adds, it is natural and graceful that an appeal to pity ( ),— which the daughter makes,—should precede the father's appeal to reason ( ). The schol. further remarks that Didymus ( circ. 30 B.C. ) had not obelized any part of the passage. This is important, as making it most improbable that the rested on the absence of these verses from the older Alexandrian copies. Though the text is doubtful in some points, the internal evidence cannot be said to afford any good ground for suspicion.

mvp-comment-177-1 γεραὸν … ἐμὸν ¹³¹

mvp-comment-178-1 ἀκόντων ¹³²

mvp-comment-178-2 ἀΐοντες αὐδάν ¹³³

mvp-comment-178-3 ἔργων ¹³⁴

mvp-comment-179-1 ἀλλ’ ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-180-1 Hermann's τοὐμοῦ μόνου (for the MS. τοῦ μόνου ) is metrically right, but μόνου can hardly be sound. It must mean (1) "for my father alone" (and not for my own sake): not (2) "lonely, as he is": nor (3) "for my own father" (Campbell's view, which I do not comprehend). ΤΟΥΜΟΝΟΥ may have come from ΤΟΥΔΑΘΛΙΟΥ (Mekler), but

in 246 is against this (see, however, on 554 ). Perhaps τοῦδ’ ἀμμόρου .

mvp-comment-181-1 οὐκ ἀλαοῖς ¹³⁶

mvp-comment-181-2 προσορωμένα ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-182-1 ὥς τις ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-183-1 ἐν ὔμμι κείμεθα ¹³⁹

mvp-comment-183-2 κείμεθα ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-184-1 νεύσατε ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-184-2 τὰν ἀδόκητον χάριν ¹⁴²

mvp-comment-185-1 πρός ς’ ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-186-1 ἢ χρέος ἢ θεός ¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-187-1 ἀθρῶν ¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-188-1 ἄγοι ¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-190-1 τὰ δ’ ἐκ θεῶν ¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-191-1 For τῶν as 1st syll. of 3rd foot cp. Ant. 95

.

mvp-comment-192-1 ῥεούσης ¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-193-1 εἰ ¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-193-2 θεοσεβεστάτας ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-194-1 μόνας ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-194-2 τὸν κακούμενον ξένον ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-194-3 These two examples are cited in Her. 9.27 ; in the spurious

ascribed to Lysias ( or. 2 §§ 4-16 ); and in that ascribed to Demosthenes ( or. 60 §§ 7, 8 ). Isocrates quotes them in the Panegyricus , as showing how the Athenians

διετέλεσαν τὴν πόλιν κοινὴν παρέχοντες καὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἀεὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπαμύνουσαν

(§ 52) ; also in his Encomium Helenae § 31 ; and again in his Panathenaicus , where he remarks that Tragedy has made them familiar to all ( § 168

τίς οὐκ ἀκήκοε τῶν τραγῳδοδιδασκάλων Διονυσίοις

;). They figure, too, in the Platonic Menexenus , with the comment that Athens might justly be accused of too great compassion, and too much zeal for "the weaker cause":

ὡς ἀεὶ λίαν φιλοικτίρμων ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦ ἥττονος θεραπίς,

244 E . Cp. Her. 8.142

αἰεὶ καὶ τὸ πάλαι φαίνεσθε πολλοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντες ἀνθρώπων

. Andocides or. 3 § 28

τοὺς κρείττους φίλους ἀφιέντες ἀεὶ τοὺς ἥττους αἱρούμεθα

.

mvp-comment-195-1 σῴζειν ¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-195-2 οἵας τε ¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-196-1 κἄμοιγε ποῦ ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-196-2 καί ¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-196-3 οἵτινες ¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-197-1 As 276 shows, ἐξάραντες refers to his first seat, in the grove. They had induced him to leave that seat ( 174 ff. ), on a pledge that no one should remove him from the resting-place outside of the grove. Yet now they command him to quit Attica ( ἐλαύνετε : 226

).

mvp-comment-197-2 τάδε βάθρα ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-198-1 οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γε ¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-199-1 ἐπεὶ … ἔξοιδα ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-200-1 πεπονθότ’ … δεδρακότα ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-201-1 "Ye shrink from me as from a guilty man. And yet ( καίτοι ),— evil as were my acts (in themselves),— how have I shown an evil disposition (

), or incurred moral guilt? Before I struck my father, he had struck me ( : see O. T. 809 ). Even if I had been aware ( ) who he was, I might plead this in my defence: but, in fact, I did not know. Nor did I recognise my mother. They , on the other hand, had deliberately tried to kill their babe." — Note that the clause , which could not apply to the incest, limits the reference of to the parricide; while ( 273 ) refers to both stains.

mvp-comment-202-1 He has two distinct pleas, (1) provocation, and (2) ignorance. These could have been expressed by ἀντέδρων (1) παθὼν μέν , (2)

. But (2) is forestalled by the thought that, if he had known, (1) would have excused him. This hypothesis is then contrasted with the fact (273) ; and the fact on his side is next contrasted with the fact on the other (274) . Hence παθὼν μέν has no clause really answering to it; for νῦν δ’ answers to εἰ φρονῶν , and ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ to οὐδὲν εἰδώς . The impf. ( ἀντέδρων ) expresses the situation ("I was retaliating"): the aor. (273) , an act accomplished at a definite moment.

mvp-comment-203-1 ἱκόμην ἵν’ ἱκόμην ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-204-1 ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ ἔπασχον ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-204-2 ἔπασχον ¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-205-1 ὥσπερ με κἀνεστής ¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-206-1 θεοὺς … τοὺς θεοὺς ¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-207-1 μοίραις ποεῖσθε ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-207-2 ποεῖσθε ¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-208-1 The place of του before φωτός (cp. Ai. 29

, Ph. 519

μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς

) would be less awkward if φυγὴν and μήπω changed places: but the latter is reserved for the emphatic place at the beginning of the verse.

mvp-comment-209-1 μήπω ¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-209-2 φωτὸς … βροτῶν ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-210-1 ξὺν οἷς ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-210-2 μὴ κάλυπτε ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-210-3 τὰς εὐδαίμονας ¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-211-1 ἔλαβες ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-211-2 τὸν ἱκέτην ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-211-3 ἐχέγγυον ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-212-1 ἐκφύλασσε ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-213-1 δυσπρόσοπτον ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-214-1 ἱερός ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-214-2 εὐσεβής ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-214-3 φέρων | ὄνησιν ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-215-1 ὁ κύριος … τις ¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-216-1 τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτου ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-216-2 τὰ ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-217-1 τἀπὸ σοῦ ¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-218-1 ὠνόμασται ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-218-2 βραχέσι ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-219-1 ἄνακτας ¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-219-2 διειδέναι ¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-220-1 The

had spoken of Theseus as

ὁ κατ’ ἄστυ βασιλεύς

(67) , but had not said where he then was.

mvp-comment-221-1 πατρῷον ἄστυ γῆς ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-221-2 ἔχει ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-221-3 σκοπὸς ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-222-1 κἀμὲ ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-222-2 ἔπεμψεν ¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-222-3 στελῶν ¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-223-1 Wecklein brackets these nine verses, thinking that they arose from a misunderstanding of 551-554 . Theseus divined the name of Oedipus from the description of his person; but these vv. were inserted by one who thought it necessary to explain how Theseus knew the name. I hold the verses to be genuine. The

must have been sent to Athens by the Chorus before they came to the grove (117) , and could not, therefore, know the name of Oedipus (first disclosed at 222 ). He could only tell Theseus that there was a blind stranger at Colonus, who hinted at his own power to confer benefits (72) , and who looked noble (76) . Theseus, on entering (551) , at once greets Oedipus by name, though he had never seen him before (68) . He had divined the identity through a knowledge of the history (553) — i.e. he started from Athens on the strength of what the could tell. And on the way to Colonus (adds Theseus) he has been made certain of the fact (554) — i.e. he had heard the name. Now, it was precisely for such certainty that the dramatist meant this passage to provide. He felt that otherwise there might have been too great improbability in the instant confidence of the recognition by Theseus.

mvp-comment-224-1 Join αὐτὸν with ἐλθεῖν , not with ἕξειν : cp. O. T. 6

.

mvp-comment-225-1 καὶ κάρθ’ ¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-226-1 κέλευθος ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-227-1 πλανᾶσθαι ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-227-2 τῶν ²⁰¹

mvp-comment-228-1 θάρσει, παρέσται ²⁰²

mvp-comment-228-2 πολὺ ²⁰³

mvp-comment-229-1 κεἰ βραδὺς εὕδει ²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-229-2 εὕδω ²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-229-3 βραδύς ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-230-1 κλύων σοῦ ²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-231-1 τίς γὰρ ἐσθλός ²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-232-1 τίλέξω ²¹¹

mvp-comment-232-2 ποῖ φρενῶν ²¹²

mvp-comment-233-1 τί δ’ ἔστι; ²¹³

mvp-comment-234-1 Αἰτναίας … πώλου ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-234-2 Αἰτναίας ²¹⁵

mvp-comment-235-1 κρατὶ ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-235-2 Θεσσαλὶς κυνῆ ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-236-1 πρόσωπα ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-237-1 Elms. cp. Eur. I. T. 577

mvp-comment-237-2 πλανᾷ ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-238-1 Arist. Metaphys. 3. 6

mvp-comment-238-2 τί φῶ ²²¹

mvp-comment-239-1 φαιδρὰ ²²²

mvp-comment-239-2 σαίνει με ²²³

mvp-comment-240-1 The δῆλον of the MSS. can mean only "manifest to me" (a very weak sense): for it could not bear the emphatic sense, "in living presence" (as opp. to "in my fancy"). Nor, again, can it well be taken as a parenthetic adv., "'tis clear" (like Ai. 906

). The conjecture ἀδελφὸν (cp. Ant. 1

ὦ κοινὸν αὐτάδελφον Ἰσμήνης κάρα

) may be right.

mvp-comment-241-1 Ismene has come from Thebes, where she has hitherto continued to live, in order to bring her father important tidings. The Thebans will shortly make an attempt to fix his home, not within, but near their borders. A war has already broken out between his sons.

mvp-comment-241-2 There is no contrast in this play, as in the early part of the Antigone , between the spirit of the sisters. But the contrast between their circumstances indirectly exalts Antigone. She is wandering barefooted, enduring heat and cold ( 349 f. ), — Creon is struck by the suffering shown in her aspect ( 748 ), — while Ismene has at least the ordinary comforts of life.

mvp-comment-241-3 ὦ δισσὰ πατρὸς καὶ κασιγν ²²⁶

mvp-comment-242-1 δεύτερον ²²⁷

mvp-comment-242-2 λύπῃ ²²⁸

mvp-comment-243-1 ὁρᾶν ²²⁹

mvp-comment-244-1 In the MSS. the verse ἦ τῆσδε κἀμοῦ ; etc. stands immediately after the verse πρόσψαυσον, ὦ παῖ , etc. Musgrave has been followed by nearly all subsequent editors, in separating these two verses by the insertion between them of the verse ὦ σπέρμ’ ὅμαιμον etc. This transposition is plainly necessary: else Ismene will say that she touches not only her father and sister, but herself. Campbell defends

as meaning, "I too am linked in this unhappy circle": adding that The source of the confusion in the MSS. was obviously that the gen. ἦ τῆσδε κἀμοῦ etc. could depend, in grammar , either on θιγγάνω or on τροφαί , though the sense leaves no choice. Nauck further places v. 327 ( ) after v. 329 ( ). Wecklein places v. 328 ( ) after v. 329 . Neither of these changes is hurtful; but neither appears necessary.

mvp-comment-245-1 ὦ δυσάθλιαι τροφαί ²³⁰

mvp-comment-245-2 ὅμαιμον ²³¹

mvp-comment-246-1 σῇ ²³²

mvp-comment-247-1 πότερα ²³³

mvp-comment-247-2 πόθοισι ²³⁴

mvp-comment-247-3 λόγων αὐτάγγ ²³⁵

mvp-comment-248-1 ξὺν ᾧπερ … μόνῳ ²³⁶

mvp-comment-249-1 πονεῖν ²³⁷

mvp-comment-249-2 ποῦ ²³⁸

mvp-comment-250-1 οὗπέρ εἰσι ²³⁹

mvp-comment-250-2 τανῦν ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-251-1 Αἰγύπτῳ ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-252-1 φύσιν ²⁴²

mvp-comment-252-2 τροφάς ²⁴³

mvp-comment-253-1 ἱστουργοῦντες ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-254-1 τἄξω βίου τροφεῖα ²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-255-1 σφῷν δ’ ²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-256-1 Not noticing Ismene's hint (336) , Oedipus imagines his sons in repose at Thebes. He is soon to learn that one of them, an exile, is levying war against the other (374) .

mvp-comment-256-2 οἰκουροῦσιν ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-256-3 ὥστε ²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-256-4 παρθένοι ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-257-1 τἀμὰ δυστήνου ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-258-1 νέας τροφῆς ἔληξε ²⁵³

mvp-comment-258-2 κατίσχυσεν ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-259-1 γερονταγωγεῖ ²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-260-1 νηλίπους ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-261-1 ἡγεῖται ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-261-2 τὰ τῆς ²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-262-1 εἰ … ἔχοι ²⁶¹

mvp-comment-262-2 τροφὴν ²⁶²

mvp-comment-263-1 μαντεῖα πάντα ²⁶³

mvp-comment-264-1 τοῦδε σώματος ²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-264-2 φύλαξ δέ μοι ²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-264-3 μοι ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-265-1 στόλος ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-266-1 μὴ οὐχὶ … φέρουσα ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-267-1 From Thebes to Athens is a short day's journey; but Ismene has sought her father far and wide. This could not well have been if, as Campbell supposes (on 355 ), the oracles which she herself had formerly brought to him had directed his course towards Attica.

mvp-comment-268-1 ζητοῦσα τὴν σὴν τροφήν ²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-269-1 ἀμφὶ … παίδοιν ²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-270-1 Eteocles and Polyneices were young boys at the fall of Oedipus (see on 1

), and their uncle Creon (brother of Iocasta) became regent ( O. T. 1418 ). As the two brothers grew up, they agreed, at first, in wishing to resign the throne, of which they were joint heirs, to Creon, lest Thebes should be tainted by their own rule; but afterwards they fell to striving with each other for the sole power.

mvp-comment-270-2 ἔρως ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-270-3 Κρέοντί τε ²⁷²

mvp-comment-270-4 Paley's

is, however, highly probable. It would mean, "to Creon in the next resort." So δὴ is used of succession in Ant. 173 , where Creon says , I next (the sons of Oed. being dead); and Aesch. Eum. 3

ἣ δὴ τὸ μητρὸς δευτέρα τόδ’ ἕζετο | μαντεῖον

.

mvp-comment-271-1 ἐᾶσθαι ²⁷³

mvp-comment-271-2 πόλιν ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-272-1 λόγῳ ²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-272-2 τὴν πάλαι … φθοράν ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-273-1 κἀλιτηρίου ²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-274-1 The dat. after εἰσῆλθε is strictly a dat. of the person interested, but was perh. influenced by the analogy of the dat. in

, "it occurred to me," and the like; cp. Tr. 298

ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἶκτος... εἰσέβη

: Her. 1.86

) λέγεται ( τῷ Κροίσῳ … ἐσελθεῖν...τὸ τοῦ Σόλωνος

: but 6. 125

τὸν Κροῖσον γέλως ἐσῆλθε

: and so Eur. Med. 931

εἰσῆλθέ μ’ οἶκτος

.

mvp-comment-274-2 τρὶς ἀθλίοιν ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-275-1 If νεάζων ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-276-1 τὸν πρόσθε ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-277-1 ἀποστερίσκει ²⁸²

mvp-comment-278-1 πληθύων ²⁸³

mvp-comment-279-1 Ἄργος ²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-280-1 κῆδος ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-280-2 καινόν ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-281-1 ὡς ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-281-2 ὡς … Ἄργος … καθέξον ἢ … βιβῶν ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-282-1 τιμῇ ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-282-2 καθέξον ²⁹²

mvp-comment-282-3 πρὸς οὐρ. βιβῶν ²⁹³

mvp-comment-283-1 ἀριθμός ²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-284-1 If the MS. ὅποι (Vat. ὅπη ) is right, the phrase is harsh beyond example. ποῖ, ὅποι , instead of ποῦ, ὅπου , are often boldly used, when the verb implies either ( a ) motion , as 227

, 476

τελευτῆσαι

, Eur. Bacch. 184

καθιστάναι

, etc.; or ( b ) patience up to a point, as Aristoph. Lys. 526

ποῖ γὰρ καὶ χρῆν ἀναμεῖναι;

But it is hard to see how ὅποι κατοικτιοῦσιν could mean " how far they will prolong (thy woes) before they pity them." To supply προελθόντας or προαγαγόντες is to cut the knot. If the phrase meant anything, it ought rather to mean, " up to what point they will pity them." As in 335

ποῖ

is a MS. error for ποῦ , so here ὅποι for ὅπου (Wecklein prefers ὅπῃ , "in what way"). Note that, in this context, πόνους = the woes of Oed. generally (mental and physical), not merely his toils in wandering: this is against the emend. κατοικιοῦσιν .

mvp-comment-285-1 ὡς … ἕξειν ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-285-2 ὡς … θεοὺς ἕξειν ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-286-1 Since ἔγωγε is virtually one word, this v. cannot be regarded as an instance of γε used twice in the same sentence. Such repetition is allowable when more than one word is to be emphasised, as Eur. Phoen. 554

, but no certain example happens to occur in Soph.: see on O. T. 1030 .

mvp-comment-287-1 The purport of this new oracle seems to have been: — "The welfare of Thebes depends on Oed., alive or dead." Ismene paraphrases it: — "It shows that you will be in request with the Thebans some day (

, i.e. some day soon , 397 ), — not merely after your death, but while you live." She knows that Creon is coming in the hope of carrying Oed. back — not to Thebes, but to some place just beyond the Theban border, where his person, and afterwards his grave, should be under Theban control. Cp. on 1331

.

mvp-comment-288-1 εὐσοίας ²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-289-1 A and other MSS. have

, which gives a clear constr. It seems arbitrary to assume that in L's reading the syllable lost was rather τι after τίς δ’ ἂν , the gen. being one of source. Herm. supports the latter view by O. T. 1006

σοῦ πρὸς δόμους ἐλθόντος εὖ πράξαιμί τι

, but there the gen. is absolute. Wecklein gives comparing ; but in such phrases = not

mvp-comment-290-1 ἐν σοὶ ²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-290-2 γίγνεσθαι ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-290-3 φασί ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-290-4 κράτη ³⁰²

mvp-comment-291-1 ἀνήρ ³⁰³

mvp-comment-292-1 ὤλλυσαν ³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-293-1 see on 1

.

mvp-comment-293-2 δ\ς πέσῃ ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-294-1 καὶ μὴν ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-294-2 γε ³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-295-1 βαιοῦ … χρόνου ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-295-2 κοὐχὶ μ. ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-296-1 στήσωσι ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-297-1 ὅρων ³¹¹

mvp-comment-298-1 The tenor of this fine passage should be observed.

mvp-comment-298-2 Oedipus took

(392) to mean that the welfare of Thebes depended on his presence there. He is thinking of a restoration to his Theban home (395) . He asks, therefore, —"Of what use can I be to them if I am left at their doors, and not received within their land?" "They will suffer," she replies, "if your tomb is neglected." Oedipus does not see the force of this answer: he still infers (from θανόντα in 390 ) that, whatever may be his doom in life, he is at least to be buried at Thebes. "Why, of course they will," he replies (403) . " So " — pursues the daughter (404) — "they mean to keep you within their grasp." A new suspicion flashes on him. "They will bury me at Thebes?" "It cannot be." That is enough. He will never give himself into their hands. — Remark that he was supposing Apollo's former decree (91) to have been cancelled by this later one (389) . He now sees that the new oracle does not cancel the former, but merely confirms it in one aspect, viz. in the promise of

ἄτην τοῖς πέμψασιν

(93) .

mvp-comment-298-3 θύρασι ³¹²

mvp-comment-298-4 κειμένου ³¹³

mvp-comment-299-1 κείνοις ³¹⁴ βαρύς ³¹⁵

mvp-comment-299-2 δυστυχῶν ³¹⁶

mvp-comment-300-1 Cp. O. T. 398

. It needed no oracle to tell one that they would incur divine anger for neglecting the first duties of piety towards their late king.

mvp-comment-301-1 σε προσθέσθαι ³¹⁷

mvp-comment-301-2 ἂν … κρατοῖς ³¹⁸

mvp-comment-302-1 καὶ ³¹⁹

mvp-comment-303-1 τοὔμφυλον αἷμα ³²⁰

mvp-comment-304-1 συναλλαγῆς ³²¹

mvp-comment-305-1 σοῖς … τάφοις ³²²

mvp-comment-306-1 θεωρῶν ³²³

mvp-comment-306-2 ἑστίας ³²⁴

mvp-comment-307-1 ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ³²⁵

mvp-comment-308-1 οἱ μολόντες ³²⁶

mvp-comment-309-1 παίδων τις ³²⁷

mvp-comment-310-1 καὶ εἶτα ³²⁸

mvp-comment-310-2 τῶνδ’ ³²⁹

mvp-comment-310-3 πάρος … προὔθεντο ³³⁰

mvp-comment-311-1 τοὐμοῦ πόθου ³³¹

mvp-comment-312-1 φέρω δ’ ὅμως ³³²

mvp-comment-313-1 ἀλλ’ ³³³

mvp-comment-313-2 σφιν ³³⁴

mvp-comment-313-3 τὴν πεπρωμένην ³³⁵

mvp-comment-314-1 ἐν δ’ ³³⁶

mvp-comment-314-2 ἐν ἐμοί ³³⁷

mvp-comment-315-1 κἀπαναίρονται ³³⁸

mvp-comment-315-2 ἐπαναιροῦνται δόρυ ³³⁹

mvp-comment-316-1 ὡς ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-317-1 οἵ γε ³⁴¹

mvp-comment-318-1 ἀτίμως ³⁴²

mvp-comment-319-1 οὐκ ἔσχον ³⁴³

mvp-comment-319-2 ἤμυναν ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-319-3 ἀνάστατος ³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-320-1 αὐτοῖν ³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-320-2 ἐξεκηρύχθην ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-321-1 εἴποις ἂν ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-321-2 θέλοντι ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-321-3 τότε ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-322-1 The ι in L's κατηίνυσεν speaks for κατῄνεσεν ,— clearly much fitter here than κατήνυσεν . Cp. 1633

, 1637

κατῄνεσεν

. The contrast is between exile imposed as a doom or granted as a boon,—not merely between a wish fulfilled or unfulfilled.

mvp-comment-323-1 ἡμέραν ³⁵¹

mvp-comment-323-2 τὴν αὐτίχ’ ³⁵²

mvp-comment-324-1 λευσθῆναι πέτροις ³⁵³

mvp-comment-325-1 ἔρωτ’ ἐς τόνδ’ ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-326-1 πέπων ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-327-1 ἐκδραμόντα ³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-328-1 The gen. might be taken with μείζω , "a chastiser greater than the sins," i.e. "severer than they merited" (

.); but it is simpler to take it with κολαστήν , "too great a chastiser of the sins." As is "violent anger," so which is over-violent can be called . The rhythm of the verse will not permit us to disjoin (as by a comma) from .

mvp-comment-329-1 τὸ τηνίκ’ ἤδη ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-329-2 τοῦτο μέν ³⁶¹

mvp-comment-330-1 χρόνιον ³⁶²

mvp-comment-330-2 ἐπωφελεῖν ³⁶³

mvp-comment-331-1 οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ πατρί ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-331-2 τὸ δρᾶν ³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-332-1 ἔπους σμικροῦ χάριν ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-333-1 σφιν ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-334-1 τοῖνδε ³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-335-1 τροφάς ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-336-1 γῆς ἄδειαν ³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-336-2 Nauck's

seems too suggestive of a fixed home to suit (3): Wecklein's makes a detail too prominent in this general acknowledgment. With regard to or (Blaydes), remark that never occurs with a gen. of that against which one is safe. The καὶ before seems genuine: were it absent, the before must answer to that before . And, for a rhetorical passage, γῆς is in some degree confirmed by the assonance with .

mvp-comment-336-3 γένους ³⁷¹

mvp-comment-337-1 The constr. is, εἱλέσθην θρόνους, καὶ κραίνειν σκῆπτρα , etc.

mvp-comment-337-2 κραίνειν ³⁷²

mvp-comment-337-3 σκῆπτρα ³⁷³

mvp-comment-338-1 As most editors since Elmsley have allowed, the MS. οὔ τι ... οὔτε cannot be right. And οὔ τι ... οὐδέ is clearly more forcible than οὔτε ... οὔτε .

mvp-comment-338-2 λάχωσι ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-338-3 τοῦδε ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-338-4 συμμάχου ³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-339-1 The oracle newly brought by Ismene is distinguished from the oracle given to Oedipus himself at Delphi in former years (see on 87

). He calls the former her oracle, because she brings it. Both oracles alike concern him. We must not, then, change τἀξ to τἀπ’ ( ).

mvp-comment-339-2 τὰ ἐξ ἐμοῦ παλαίφατα ³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-339-3 ἐξ ³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-340-1 ἤνυσεν ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-341-1 ὁμοῦ | προστάτισι ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-341-2 In the reading

, note these points: (1) would not mean, "defend me," but rather "defend against me" (cp. on 1524

): we must at least have μοι . (2) πρός yields no tolerable sense. , "ye, in addition to the goddesses," ranks the Coloniates with, or above, their deities. The gloss , written in L over (whence it came into other MSS.), was a palliative. Nor could mean here, "close to their shrine."

mvp-comment-341-3 For Dindorf's

it may be urged:—(1) is in all MSS., which would be strange if were genuine; while is simply explained by ( ) . (2) A change of into might have produced the change of into . (3) After in 455 it is easy to dispense with the pronoun.—Cp. O. T. 882

θεὸν οὐ λήξω ποτὲ προστάταν ἴσχων

: Tr. 209

Ἀπόλλωνα προστάταν

: Porphyry Antr. Nymph. 12

νύμφαις ὑδάτων προστάτισιν

.

mvp-comment-342-1 δημούχοις ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-343-1 ἀλκὴν ποεῖσθαι ³⁸²

mvp-comment-344-1 ἀρεῖσθε ³⁸³

mvp-comment-344-2 The ἐμῆς in L (where

perh. preceded ) gives some colour to the conjecture (or ) : yet τοῖς δ’ ἐμοῖς seems right. Oedipus is following the train of thought in which benefits to Attica are bound up with retribution for his own wrongs ( 92 ); and he thus gives the Chorus another pledge that their interest is one with his. With is best in 459 : with would have been fitter.

mvp-comment-345-1 ἐπάξιος ³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-345-2 κατοικτίσαι ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-346-1 αὐτός τε παῖδές θ’ ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-347-1 ἐπεμβάλλεις ³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-347-2 τῷδε λόγῳ ³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-348-1 Editors usu. give either

(with L), or (as Elms.). But νυν seems best in 465 , νῦν in 466 .

mvp-comment-348-2 προξένει ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-348-3 ὡς … τελοῦντι ³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-349-1 καθαρμὸν τῶνδε δαιμόνων ³⁹¹

mvp-comment-350-1 The libation is due (1) as a greeting to the

of Attica, (2) as an atonement for trespass on the grove. The words form an independent sentence, and not a second relative clause (as if were supplied from ): see on 424

.

mvp-comment-350-2 κατέστειψας ³⁹²

mvp-comment-351-1 ἀειρύτου ³⁹³

mvp-comment-352-1 δῑ ὁσίων χειρῶν ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦτο ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-353-2 ἀκήρατον ³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-354-1 κρατῆρές εἰσιν ³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-354-2 εὔχειρος ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-354-3 τέχνη ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-355-1 The crater had various forms, some of them local (thus Her. 4.61 speaks of a

, and 4. 152 of an ): but the general type was that of a large bowl, supported by a foot with a broad base, and having a handle at each side (cp. Guhl and Koner, p. 150).

mvp-comment-355-2 κρᾶτ’ ⁴⁰¹

mvp-comment-355-3 λαβὰς ἀμφιστόμους ⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-356-1 θαλλοῖσιν ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-357-1 The MS. νεαρᾶς seems the right word: with Bellermann, I insert σὺ , though Wecklein's τε is also possible. For the iterated

cp. Ant. 157

νεοχμὸς νεαραῖσι θεῶν

ἐπὶ συντυχίαις

. The objection to γε is that it supposes κρόκαισιν to be the genus of which μαλλῷ is a species. μαλλός , however, means, not a woollen texture, but a fleece of wool, flocks of which were to be made into a festoon ( στέφος ) for the brim of the κρατήρ , like that which the suppliant put on his ἱκετηρία ( O. T. 3 ). νεώρους is tempting, but elsewhere means "recent," "fresh" ( 730 , El. 901 ), not "young." The drawback to Dindorf's νεαλοῦς is the sense. νεαλής in class. Attic meant not young , but fresh as opp. to exhausted : Xen. Cyr. 8.6.17

παραλαμβάνειν τοὺς ἀπειρηκότας ἵππους καὶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἄλλους πέμπειν νεαλεῖς

. Plat. Polit. 265B

νεαλέστεροι ὄντες

(we shall travel better) while we are fresh. Aristoph. fr. 330

ἕως νεαλής ἐστιν αὐτὴν τὴν ἀκμήν

is an isolated line, but the word seems to have the same sense there. Nicander Alexipharmaca 358 ( circ. 150 B.C. ) is the first writer quoted for νεαλής as = "young."

mvp-comment-357-2 λαβών ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-358-1 τὸ δ’ ἔνθεν ⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-358-2 ποῖ τελ. ⁴⁰⁶

mvp-comment-359-1 χοὰς χέασθαι ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-359-2 πρὸς πρώτην ἕω ⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-359-3 The schol. here says that persons performing expiatory rites (

) or purifications ( ) faced the East (as the region of light and purity), quoting El. 424 f., where Electra , and Cratinus (the title of the comedy was , Bothe, Frag. Com. p. 47): ,—the squill being used in purifications.

mvp-comment-359-4 Statues of gods were oft. set to face the East ( Paus. 5.23.1 , etc.): also, victims about to be sacrificed ( Sen. Oed. 338 ). Cp. the precept of Zoroaster

(Max Müller, Chips 1. 175). Conversely, in pronouncing solemn curses the priests faced the West ,—waving red banners: [Lys.] In Andoc. § 51 .

mvp-comment-360-1 κρωσσοῖς ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-360-2 οἷς ⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-360-3 χέω ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-361-1 πηγάς ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-361-2 τρισσάς ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-361-3 τὸν τελευτ ⁴¹⁴

mvp-comment-362-1 θῶ ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-363-1 μελίσσης ⁴¹⁶

mvp-comment-363-2 προσφέρειν ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-364-1 μελάμφυλλος ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-365-1 αὐτῇ ⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-365-2 ἐξ ἀμφοῖν χεροῖν ⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-366-1 ἐπεύχεσθαι ⁴²¹

mvp-comment-367-1 τούτων ⁴²²

mvp-comment-367-2 μέγιστα ⁴²³

mvp-comment-368-1 Εὐμενίδας ⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-368-2 ἐξ ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-369-1 τὸν ἱκέτην ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-369-2 σωτήριον ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-370-1 σύ τ’ ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-371-1 ἄπυστα ⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-371-2 μηκύνων ⁴³¹

mvp-comment-372-1 ἀφέρπειν ⁴³²

mvp-comment-372-2 ἄστροφος ⁴³³

mvp-comment-373-1 παρασταίην ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-374-1 προσχώρων ⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-375-1 ὁδωτά ⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-375-2 λείπομαι ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-375-3 ἐν ⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-376-1 δύνασθαι ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-377-1 ἀρκεῖν … παρῇ ⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-378-1 ἀλλ’ ἐν τάχει τι ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-379-1 δίχα ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-380-1 τελοῦσα ⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-380-2 τὸν τόπον ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-381-1 χρῆσται ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-381-2 τοῦτο ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-382-1 ἄλσους ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-383-1 ἔποικος ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-384-1 Ἀντιγόνη, σὺ δ’ ⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-385-1 οὐδ’ ⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-387-1 κείμενον … ἐπεγείρειν ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-388-1 Mekler's ὥρα με (for ἔραμαι ) would give a closer correspondence between strophe and antistrophe: see on 523

.

mvp-comment-389-1 τί τοῦτο ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-390-1 τᾶς ⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-390-2 ἀπόρου φανείσας ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-391-1 ᾇ ξυνέστας ⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-392-1 τᾶς σᾶς ἃ πέπονθ’ ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-392-2 ἔργ’ ⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-393-1 τὸ πολὺ καὶ μηδαμὰ λῆγον ἄκουσμα χρῄξω ἀκοῦσαι ὀρθόν ⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-393-2 πολὺ ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-393-3 μηδαμὰ ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-393-4 λῆγον ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-393-5 ἄκουσμα ⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-394-1 στέρξον ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-395-1 κἀγὼ ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-396-1 I read

was, indeed, the ordinary form of the aor. in the older Attic, as inscriptions show, in which occurs first about 360 B.C. (Meisterhans, p. 88); but is proved by metre in El. 13 and Eur. Ion 38 . is suitable, when he is reluctantly proceeding to unfold his story in answer to their pressing demand.

mvp-comment-396-2 ἤνεγκ’ ⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-396-3 κακότατ’ ⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-396-4 In the MS. reading,

is wrong, since metre requires u- (cp. 510). With Bothe's ἑκὼν the sense would be:— The objections to this are insuperable. (1)

mvp-comment-396-5 θεὸς ἴστω ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-396-6 It would be a subtlety foreign to Sophocles to make Oedipus say that he had acted

when he did not act (271), (273), (976). Il. 4.43

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ σοὶ δῶκα ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ

is irrelevant:— Zeus there says to Hera (since neither god nor man could compel Zeus),

mvp-comment-397-1 αὐθαίρετον ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-398-1 κακᾷ εὐνᾷ ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-399-1 ἦ ματρόθεν … ἐπλήσω ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-399-2 ματρόθεν ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-400-1 ἀκούειν ⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-401-1 The constr. is

etc.

mvp-comment-401-2 ἐξ ἐμοῦ ⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-401-3 αὗται … παῖδε ⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-402-1 Poetical Greek idiom would join κοινᾶς with ὠδῖνος rather than with ματρός . Cp. Aesch. Eum. 325

: Ant. 793

νεῖκος ἀνδρῶν ξύναιμον.

mvp-comment-402-2 κοινᾶς ⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-403-1 σαί τ’ εἴσ’ ἄῤ ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-403-2 κοιναί ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-403-3 πατρὸς ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-404-1 ἰώ — ἰὼ δῆτα ⁴⁷⁹

mvp-comment-404-2 γε ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-404-3 ἐπιστροφαί ⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-405-1 ἄλαστ’ ἔχειν ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-406-1 οὐκ ἔρεξα ⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-406-2 τί γάρ ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-407-1 δῶρον ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-407-2 The MS. ἐπωφέλησα ,

or (cp. 441), cannot be right. The sense required is , cp. Ph. 969

μήποτ’ ὤφελον λιπεῖν | τὴν Σκῦρον

: Od. 11.548

ὡς δὴ μὴ ὄφελον νικᾶν

: where , though thus placed, belongs to the infinitives. See Appendix for the attempted explanations of , and for some proposed emendations.

mvp-comment-407-3 I would read the partic. ἐπωφελήσας (which the iambic metre allows), and take ἐξελέσθαι as the absol. infin. expressing a wish:—

For this absol. infin., with the subject in the nominative, cp. Aesch. Cho. 363:

ΗΛ. μηδ’ ὑπὸ Τρωΐας

τείχεσι φθίμενος, πάτερ,

μετ’ ἄλλων δουρικμῆτι λαῷ

παρὰ Σκαμάνδρου πόρον τεθάφθαι,

πάρος δ’ οἱ κτανόντες νιν οὕτως δαμῆναι

. Orestes had uttered the wish that Agamemnon had fallen in war at Troy:

εἰ γὰρ ὑπ’ Ἰλίῳ | … κατηναρίσθης

(345 ff.) . Electra modifies it: Here the MSS. have and . On the latter the schol. has , and on the former , thus indicating the certain correction of H. L. Ahrens, . Cp. also Od. 24.376

αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον,

οἷος Νήρικον εἷλον, …

τοῖος ἐών τοι χθιζὸς ἐν ἡμετέροισι δόμοισιν,

τεύχε’ ἔχων ὤμοισιν, ἐφεστάμεναι καὶ ἀμύνειν,

A criticism by Wecklein is discussed in the Appendix.

mvp-comment-407-4 ἐξελέσθαι ⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-408-1 τί γάρ ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-409-1 δευτέραν ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-410-1 ἔχει δέ μοι … πρὸς δίκας τι ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-410-2 τί γάρ ⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-411-1 The MSS. give

Hermann's ἁλοὺς (for ) must mean either (1) as in a net, by fate , or (2) by Laïus and his men, in the sense of, Neither sense is tolerable. Campbell suggests, saying that = . This is as if one said in English, To ἀγνώς the short would be a grave objection: Soph. has the first long thrice in , twice in , once in ( O. T. 681 ), and short never: even in ( Ant. 875 ) the is long. Porson's ἄνους could hardly mean, merely in the sense of The word means ( Ant. 281 ), and should here mean, which is not an apt sense.

mvp-comment-411-2 And all these corrections, confined to ἄλλους , leave a blot. After ἐφόνευσα, καὶ ὤλεσα is intolerably weak. Mekler's καὶ γὰρ ἄν, οὓς ἐφόνευς), ἔμ’ ἀπώλεσαν brings out the point on which Oed. insists, and to which the words

(548) refer,—viz. that, in slaying, he was defending his own life. Cp. 271. After he had returned the blow of Laïus, the attendants set on him (see on O. T. 804 —812). The change of into (or ) would have been easy if had once been written. In Ai. 794 L has instead of . Cp. Her. 1.11 (Gyges was forced) .

mvp-comment-412-1 νόμῳ … καθαρός ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-412-2 ἐς τόδ’ ἦλθον ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-414-1 ὀμφήν ⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-414-2 ἐφ’ ἁστάλη ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-415-1 The

, who did not know the name of Oed., could describe the traces of wounds about the sightless eyes, and brought the mysterious message (72). Theseus then set out, surmising who it was. Meanwhile the name of Oed. had become known at Colonus (222), and wayfarers who met Theseus raised his surmise into certain knowledge. Cp. on 299

ff.

mvp-comment-415-2 ἔν τε ⁴⁹⁵

mvp-comment-416-1 ἔγνωκά ς’ ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-416-2 ἔγνωκα ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-417-1 ἀκούων ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-417-2 For

it may be pleaded that the sense is at least quite intelligible, and that ancient writers, even the most artistic, were less careful than moderns in avoiding such repetitions of single words. Cp. 631 , 636 : 638, 640 : 966, 969 : 1000, 1003 , 1004 : 1123, 1129: 1451, 1459: 1487 f.: O. T. 517

φέρον

, 519 , 520 : ib. 1276, 1278 : Ant. 73 , 76 : Ai. 1201 , 1204 ( ).

mvp-comment-418-1 σκευή ⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-418-2 δύστηνον ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-419-1 ὄνθ’ ὃς εἶ ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-420-1 )περέσθαι ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-421-1 ἐπέστης ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-421-2 πόλεως … ἐμοῦ τ; ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-422-1 ἂν … τύχοις … ἐξαφισταίμην ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-422-2 πρᾶξιν ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-423-1 ξένος ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-424-1 καὶ ὡς ἤθλησα πλεῖστα εἷς ἀνήρ ⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-424-2 ἐπὶ ξένης ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-425-1 κινδυνεύματ’ ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-425-2 ἐν τὠμῷ κάρᾳ ⁵¹¹ κάρᾳ ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-426-1 ξένον ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-426-2 συνεκσῴζειν ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-427-1 ἀνὴρ ⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-428-1 δοῦ ⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-429-1 τὸ σὸν γενναῖον ⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-430-1 παρῆκεν ⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-430-2 ὥστε ἐμοὶ δεῖσθαι ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-430-3 δεῖσθαι ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-430-4 For the dat. ἐμοί with

(instead of as subj. to ) cp. Eur. Hipp. 940

θεοῖσι προσβαλεῖν χθονὶ | ἄλλην δεήσει γαῖαν

: and see on 721

. Wecklein takes with , permisit mihi , but the interposed ὥστε forbids this. The conject. σοι (for ), would be very weak.

mvp-comment-431-1 Theseus has named Oed. (557) and Laïus (553), but not Thebes. A knowledge of the stranger's country was implied by the rest. Cp. on 205

. γῆς could stand with (cp. O. T. 152

Πυθῶνος ἔβας

, Ph. 630

νεὼς ἄγοντα

), but is more simply governed by .

mvp-comment-432-1 χὡ λόγος διοίχεται ⁵²¹

mvp-comment-432-2 διέρχεται ⁵²³

mvp-comment-433-1 τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-434-1 τὰ δὲ | κέρδη ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-435-1 που ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-436-1 ποίῳ ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-436-2 προσφορὰ ⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-436-3 δηλώσεται ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-437-1 i.e.

Through the oracle (389), of which Theseus knows nothing, a grave in Attica had become the supreme concern of Oedipus.

mvp-comment-437-2 τὰ δ’ ἐν μέσῳ ⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-437-3 δῑ οὐδενὸς ποεῖ ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-438-1 ἐνταῦθα γάρ ⁵³²

mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν βραχεῖ ⁵³³

mvp-comment-440-1 γε μήν ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-441-1 πότερα ⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-441-2 ἐγγενῶν ⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-441-3 κἀμοῦ ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-442-1 Kayser's ἄναξ, χρῄζουσι (for ἀναγκάζουσι ) is exactly what the sense requires, and is fairly near to the MS. reading, while the latter is (I think) certainly corrupt. The verse must not be considered alone, but in close connection with 590, and with the whole context. It has been rendered:—(1)

But the ellipse of before is intolerable. And the protectors could not be required to do more than surrender him. Therefore it is no cure to propose εἴ σ’ (for ) . To read for merely shifts the first difficulty, and leaves the second. (2) Such an epexegesis by the act. infin. is impossible here. Who could write , meaning, ? (3) has been taken as= = . This needs no comment. We want either: (1) instead of κομίζειν , a word= ; but is very unlikely, and no other substitute is obvious: or (2) instead of ἀναγκάζουσι , a word = That the fault lies in is very strongly suggested by 590, where L has ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντ’ ἄν γ’ , evidently corrupted, by dittographia of , from , which L2 has. This gives a clear and fitting sense, if in 589 we read ἄναξ, χρῄζουσί με . All the trouble, for the MSS. and for the edd., has arisen from . Hence (1) Goebel, ἀλλ’ οὐ θελόντων , ( ): (2) Reisig, ἀλλ’ εἰ θέλοντάς γ’ , Both these are forced. Campbell supplies to explain , keeping L's : but can stand with a partic. only when the latter is equiv. to an apodosis, as it is in 761. So far as the tense of is concerned, a change to the fut. is no gain: it is the pres. of tendency or intention. But the whole mention of compulsion or violence is premature in 589. Oed. leads very gently up to the disclosure of his sons' unnatural conduct (599).

mvp-comment-443-1 οὐδὲ σοὶ ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-443-2 οὐδέ ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-443-3 φεύγειν ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-444-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-444-2 παρίεσαν ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-445-1 θυμὸς δ’ ⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-445-2 ξύμφορον ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-446-1 μάθῃς μου ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-447-1 ξυμφορὰν ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-447-2 ἐρεῖς ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-448-1 μεῖζον ἢ κατ’ ἄνθρ. ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-448-2 νοσεῖς ⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-449-1 Instead of

, we have , since = .—Cp. on 407

.

mvp-comment-450-1 πεμψαίαθ’ ⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-450-2 ὥστ’ οἰκεῖν δίχα ⁵⁵¹

mvp-comment-450-3 ὥστε ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-451-1 ἐξαναγκάσει ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-452-1 ὅτι ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-452-2 τῇδε … χθονί ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-453-1 τἀμὰ κἀκείνων ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-454-1 γῆρας … κατθανεῖν ⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-455-1 συγχεῖ ⁵⁵⁸

mvp-comment-455-2 παγκρατὴς ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-456-1 φθίνει μὲν … φθίνει δὲ ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-456-2 γῆς ⁵⁶¹

mvp-comment-457-1 βλαστάνει ⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-458-1 πνεῦμα ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-459-1 βέβηκεν ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-459-2 πόλει ⁵⁶⁷

mvp-comment-460-1 τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἤδη ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-460-2 ἤδη ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-460-3 καὖθις φίλα ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-461-1 Θήβαις ⁵⁷¹

mvp-comment-462-1 καλῶς ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-462-2 τὰ ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-462-3 τὸ πρὸς σέ ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-462-4 ὁ μυρίος ⁵⁷⁵

mvp-comment-463-1 τεκνοῦται ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-463-2 ἰών ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-464-1 ἐν αἷς ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-464-2 δεξιώματα ⁵⁷⁹

mvp-comment-465-1 δόρει διασκεδῶσιν ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-465-2 δόρει ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-466-1 ἵν’ ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-466-2 εὕδων ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-467-1 ψυχρὸς … θερμὸν ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-468-1 σαφής ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-469-1 τἀκίνητα ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-470-1 ἔα με ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-470-2 τὸ σὸν … πιστὸν φυλάσσων ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-471-1 εἴπερ μὴ ψεύσουσι ⁵⁸⁹

mvp-comment-471-2 εἴπερ ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-472-1 πάλαι ⁵⁹²

mvp-comment-473-1 ἐφαίνετο τελῶν ⁵⁹³

mvp-comment-474-1 δῆτ’ ⁵⁹⁴

mvp-comment-474-2 ἐκβάλοι ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-475-1 ὅτῳ ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-475-2 κοινή ⁵⁹⁷

mvp-comment-475-3 αἰέν ⁵⁹⁸

mvp-comment-475-4 δορύξενος ⁵⁹⁹

mvp-comment-475-5 Wecklein brackets the whole passage from 632

down to 637 as because (1) there could be no when Oedipus did not even know the name of Theseus (68), and (2) in 636 is suspicious. On this, see ad loc. As to (1), the to which Theseus refers is not a personal friendship, but a hereditary alliance between the royal houses, as in Eur. Suppl. 930 Polyneices (whom he had not seen before) is his . Cp. on 619

. After Wecklein's excision, we have . This is incoherent.

mvp-comment-476-1 ἀφιγμένος ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-476-2 δασμός ⁶⁰¹

mvp-comment-477-1 The aor. σεβισθεὶς only here:

1007 ,

σεβίσασα

Ant. 943 ,

σεβίζομαι ⁶⁰²

Aesch. Suppl. 922 . In later Gk. the pass. aor. of σεβάζομαι was deponent, as Anth. P. 7. 122

αἴ, αἲ Πυθαγόρης τί τόσον κυάμους ἐσεβάσθη;

It appears rash to deny that ἐσεβίσθην could be so used. The deponent use of is attested only by Plat. Phaedr. 254 B

( σεφθεῖσα )

, and Hesych. 1. 1456

ἐσέφθην· ἐσεβάσθην, ἡσύχασα, ᾐσχύνθην. Σοφοκλῆς Δαιδάλῳ

(fr. 168 Nauck).

mvp-comment-477-2 ἐκβαλῶ ⁶⁰³

mvp-comment-478-1 ἔμπολιν ⁶⁰⁴

mvp-comment-478-2 ἔμπαλιν ⁶⁰⁵

mvp-comment-478-3 δέ ⁶⁰⁶

mvp-comment-479-1 σέ ⁶⁰⁷

mvp-comment-480-1 εἰ δὲ τόδε — στείχειν μετ’ ἐμοῦ, — ἡδύ ἐστι — δίδωμί σοι, τούτων κρίναντι ( ὁπότερον βούλει ), χρῆσθαι ( αὐτᾦ ⁶⁰⁸

mvp-comment-480-2 τούτων ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-480-3 δίδωμι … χρῆσθαι ⁶¹⁰

mvp-comment-480-4 With

, the constr. would be, ( ), a word expressing consent being evolved from . But (1) this is harsher than O. T. 91

εἰ τῶνδε χρῄζεις πλησιαζόντων κλύειν

ἕτοιμος εἰπεῖν, εἴτε καὶ στείχειν ἔσω

( ), where is more easily fitted to the second clause; though somewhat similar is Eur. Ion 1120

πεπυσμέναι γάρ, εἰ θανεῖν ἡμᾶς ⁶¹¹ χρεών,

ἥδιον ἂν θάνοιμεν, εἴθ’ ὁρᾶν φάος

( ), sc. . And (2) in proposing the second alternative,—that Oed. should accompany him,—it is more suitable that he should address Oed. himself.

mvp-comment-480-5 τῇδε ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-480-6 ξυνοίσομαι ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-481-1 διδοίης … εὖ ⁶¹⁴

mvp-comment-482-1 δόμους στείχειν ⁶¹⁵

mvp-comment-483-1 εἰ … ἦν ⁶¹⁶

mvp-comment-484-1 ἐν ᾧ τί πράξεις ⁶¹⁷

mvp-comment-485-1 κρατήσω ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-486-1 μέγ’ ἂν λέγοις δώρημα ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-486-2 τῆς συνουσίας ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-486-3 τῆς ς. ⁶²¹

mvp-comment-487-1 εἰ σοί γ’ | ἅπερ φὴς ἐμμενεῖ ⁶²²

mvp-comment-488-1 τὸ τοῦδέ γ’ ἀνδρ ⁶²³

mvp-comment-489-1 ὡς κακὸν ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-490-1 ἢ λόγῳ ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-491-1 τοῦ μάλιστ’ ὄκνος σ’ ἔχει ⁶²⁷

mvp-comment-492-1 ὅρα με λείπων ⁶²⁸

mvp-comment-493-1 ὀκνοῦντ’ ἀνάγκη ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-494-1 οὐκ οἶσθ’ ⁶³⁰

mvp-comment-494-2 μή ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-495-1 — 660 Many emendations of 658 f. have been proposed, and Wecklein would reject the three verses altogether. To me they seem not only authentic but textually sound. They picture a tumult of passions in the soul, presently quelled by reason. The angry threats and the sobering reason are alike personified. The genuineness of the nominative πολλαὶ δ’ ἀπειλαὶ is confirmed by the imagery of the second clause, ἀλλ’ ὁ νοῦς ὅταν . For this animated personification of speech or passion, cp. Aesch. Cho. 845

: Eur. Hipp. 1416

οὐδὲ γῆς ὑπὸ ζόφῳ

θεᾶς ἄτιμοι Κύπριδος ἐκ προθυμίας

ὀργαὶ κατασκήψουσιν ἐς τὸ σὸν δέμας

. The cognate verb κατηπείλησαν (gnomic aorist), instead of the simple , gives an emphasis like that which the cogn. accus. would give in

mvp-comment-495-2 θυμῷ ⁶³²

mvp-comment-496-1 αὑτοῦ ⁶³³

mvp-comment-496-2 φροῦδα ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-497-1 κείνοις ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-497-2 καὶ εἰ ἐπερρώσθη ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-497-3 λέγειν ⁶³⁷

mvp-comment-497-4 We cannot read

, since the pl. is needed. The best solution would be , from which might have come through a transposition. But the sarcastic

mvp-comment-497-5 ἴσως ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-497-6 κεἰ ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-498-1 τὸ δεῦρο ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-499-1 θαρσεῖν μὲν οὖν ⁶⁴¹

mvp-comment-499-2 κἄνευ τῆς ἐμῆς γνώμης ⁶⁴²

mvp-comment-499-3 ἐπαινῶ ⁶⁴³

mvp-comment-499-4 Φοῖβος ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-500-1 ὅμως ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-502-1 The first word εὐίππου strikes a note which connects Colonus ἵππιος with the fame of Attica. Take

with . You have come to earth's best abodes ( Colonus ), belonging to this ( Attica ). The gen. εὐίπ. τ. χώρας is most simply taken as possessive, denoting the country to which the belong, though it might also be partitive. It precedes as the territorial gen. regularly precedes the local name, Her. 3.136

ἀπίκοντο τῆς Ἰταλίης ἐς Τάραντα

.

mvp-comment-503-1 γᾶς ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-503-2 ἔπαυλα ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-504-1 τὸν ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-504-2 ἀργῆτα ⁶⁴⁹

mvp-comment-505-1 μινύρεται θαμίζουσα ⁶⁵⁰

mvp-comment-506-1 χλω. ὑπὸ βάσσαις ⁶⁵¹

mvp-comment-507-1 The reading ἀνέχουσα is usually justified by Ai. 212

, "having conceived a love for thee, he upholds thee"; and Eur. Hec. 123

βάκχης ἀνέχων λέκτρ’ Ἀγαμέμνων

, "upholding," i.e. "refusing to forsake," "remaining constant to." But how could the bird be said to "uphold" the ivy in that sense? In Thuc. 2.18 and 7. 48 is intrans., "he held back" cautiously. Of the two MS. readings, οἰνωπὰν ἔχουσα and οἰνῶπ’ ἀνέχουσα , the latter seems to have come from the former, not vice versa. is a good Attic form (used four times by Eur.), and is nearer to the MSS. than Dindorf's . The latter word would mean,

mvp-comment-508-1 The ivy and the vine (17) being sacred to Dionysus ( θεοῦ ), the foliage of the place generally is called his.

is certainly not the hero Colonus (65) . We might desire θεᾶν (the Eumenides), but the meant is not only that of the sacred grove; it includes the Academy.

mvp-comment-508-2 μυριόκαρπον ⁶⁵²

mvp-comment-509-1 ἀνήνεμον … χειμώνων ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-510-1 βακχιώτας ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐμβατεύει ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-511-2 ἀμφιπολῶν ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-511-3 tiqh/nais ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-512-1 θάλλει δ’ ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-513-1 νάρκισσος ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-513-2 μεγάλαιν θεαῖν ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-514-1 ἀρχαῖον στεφάνωμ’ ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-515-1 χρυσαυγὴς κρόκος ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-516-1 κρῆναι ⁶⁶⁵

mvp-comment-516-2 μινύθουσιν ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-517-1 Κηφισοῦ ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-517-2 νομάδες ⁶⁶⁸

mvp-comment-518-1 ἐπ’ ἤματι ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-519-1 ὠκυτόκος ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-519-2 πεδίων ἐπινίσσεται ⁶⁷³

mvp-comment-520-1 ὄμβρῳ ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-521-1 στ. χθονός ⁶⁷⁵

mvp-comment-521-2 στερνούχου ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-521-3 Μουσᾶν ⁶⁷⁷

mvp-comment-522-1 νιν ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-522-2 οὐδ’ ἁ ⁶⁷⁹

mvp-comment-522-3 Ἀφροδίτη ⁶⁸⁰

mvp-comment-522-4 χρυσάνιος ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-523-1 Thus far the theme has been Colonus and the adjacent region. Now the praises take a larger range. Athena's gift of the olive, Poseidon's gift of the horse, are here celebrated as common to Attica (

, 700, cp. 668): though the latter had a special interest for Colonus Hippius, and the former for the Academy, where an olive was shown, said to have sprung up next after the primal olive in the of the Erechtheum ( Paus. 1.30.2 ).

mvp-comment-523-2 γᾶς Ἀσίας ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-524-1 Δωρίδι ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-524-2 νάσῳ ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-524-3 Πέλοπος ⁶⁸⁵

mvp-comment-525-1 φύτευμ’ ⁶⁸⁷

mvp-comment-525-2 ἀχείρωτον ⁶⁸⁸

mvp-comment-526-1 φόβημα ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-527-1 τᾷδε … χώρᾳ ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-527-2 μέγιστα ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-528-1 παιδοτρόφου ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-529-1 τὸ μέν τις ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-529-2 σημαίνων ⁶⁹⁴

mvp-comment-529-3 Now comes this question:—Was the antithesis here between youth and age , or between some other notions? Hartung writes

, understanding, , : but such a fig. sense of is inconceivable. Nauck's is too far from the MSS., and the plur. is strange. I incline to believe that the poet indeed meant but without any personal reference, and merely in this general sense:— The words suit this. The conjecture συνναίων has palaeographic probability (for a cursive text): for the phrase cp. Eur. fr. 370 .

mvp-comment-530-1 κύκλος ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-531-1 Μορίου Διός ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-531-2 Μορίου ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-532-1 γλαυκῶπις ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-533-1 This antistrophe is devoted to Poseidon, as the strophe to Athena.

mvp-comment-533-2 ματρόπολει ⁶⁹⁹

mvp-comment-534-1 If vv. 696 f. are sound as they stand, the problem here is to supply uu , and Porson's χθονὸς seems best.

(713) must not be judged with modern fastidiousness: see on 554

.

mvp-comment-535-1 εὔιππον, εὔπωλον ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-535-2 εὔιππον ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-535-3 εὐθάλασσον ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-535-4 εὔιππον, εὐθάλασσον ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-536-1 σὺ γάρ ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-537-1 εἷσας ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-538-1 ἵπποισιν ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-538-2 ἀκεστῆρα ⁷⁰⁷

mvp-comment-539-1 πρώταισι ταῖσδε … ἀγυιαῖς ⁷⁰⁸

mvp-comment-539-2 κτίσας ⁷⁰⁹

mvp-comment-540-1 Poseidon has taught men to row as well as to ride. He fits the oars to their hands. But, instead of

, the form is varied to a passive constr. If παραπτομένα is sound, this seems the best account of it,— , suggesting the notion, (If from , it could be only aor., which the sense excludes.) Conjecture might proceed on either of two views:—( a ) that in the strophic v. 704 the correction αἰὲν is true, so that is metrically sound: ( b ) that in 704 the MS. εἰσαιὲν is true, so that here we require u--uu- . On the latter view I would suggest that προσαρμοζομένα is suitable, and on this may have been a gloss; cp. Eur. I. T. 1405 ( ) .

mvp-comment-540-2 εὐήρετμος ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-540-3 ἔκπαγλα ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-540-4 ἁλία ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-541-1 τῶν ἑκατομπόδων Νηρῄδων ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-543-1 σὸν … δὴ ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-543-2 φαίνειν τὰ λαμπρὰ ἔπη ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-544-1 The

(division of the verse between two persons) marks excitement: cp. 652, 1099, 1169.

mvp-comment-545-1 ἡμῖν ⁷¹⁶

mvp-comment-546-1 φαίνοιτ’ ἄν ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-546-2 τέρμα τῆς σωτηρίας ⁷¹⁸

mvp-comment-547-1 παρέσται ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-547-2 ἐγώ ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-548-1 ὀμμάτων ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-548-2 εἰληφότας ⁷²²

mvp-comment-548-3 νεώρη ⁷²³

mvp-comment-549-1 ὃν ⁷²⁴

mvp-comment-550-1 ὡς ⁷²⁵

mvp-comment-550-2 δρᾶν τι ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-551-1 εἴ τιν’ ⁷²⁷

mvp-comment-552-1 τηλικόσδ’ ⁷²⁸

mvp-comment-553-1 οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς στείλαντος ⁷²⁹

mvp-comment-553-2 ἀστῶν ⁷³⁰

mvp-comment-554-1 ἧκέ μοι γένει ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-554-2 γένει ⁷³²

mvp-comment-555-1 εἰς πλεῖστον πόλεως ⁷³³

mvp-comment-555-2 εἰς ⁷³⁴

mvp-comment-556-1 ἀλλ’ ⁷³⁵

mvp-comment-557-1 δικαίως ⁷³⁶

mvp-comment-557-2 ἐκ δὲ τῶν ⁷³⁷

mvp-comment-558-1 ὅσῳπερ ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-558-2 πλειστον … κάκιστος ⁷³⁹

mvp-comment-559-1 ξένον ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-559-2 ἐπὶ μιᾶς πρ ⁷⁴¹

mvp-comment-560-1 τὴν ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-560-2 τάλας ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-561-1 οὐκ ἔδοξα πεσεῖν ἄν ⁷⁴⁴

mvp-comment-561-2 ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-561-3 ὅσον ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-561-4 ἥδε δύσμορος ⁷⁴⁷

mvp-comment-562-1 τὸ σὸν κάρα ⁷⁴⁸

mvp-comment-563-1 πτωχῷ ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-563-2 τηλικοῦτος ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-564-1 τοὐπιόντος ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-565-1 ἆῤ ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-565-2 ὦ τάλας ⁷⁵³

mvp-comment-566-1

Unless we correct νυν to νιν (= ), it is better to place a point, and not merely a comma, at κρύπτειν : etc.,—the elliptical use of ἀλλ’ οὐ γάρ , as at 988, El. 595 , Tr. 552 . So the schol.: . With only a comma at would belong to κρύψον : —when the position of νυν is awkward.—So in O. T. 1424 Creon urges the Theban elders to take Oed. into the house, forbidding them .

mvp-comment-567-1 πρὸς θεῶν πατρῴων ⁷⁵⁴

mvp-comment-568-1 θελήσας ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-568-2 ἄστυ ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-569-1 εἰπών ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-569-2 ἡ δ’ οἴκοι ⁷⁵⁹

mvp-comment-570-1 παντὸς ⁷⁶⁰

mvp-comment-570-2 ἂν φέρων ⁷⁶¹

mvp-comment-571-1 In L's πείρᾶι (sic) we trace the wish of Didymus (schol.) to read πείρᾳ , i.e.

It would then be necessary to take κἀμὲ as= (who have had such experiences).

mvp-comment-571-2 πειρᾷ ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-571-3 δεύτερον … ἑλεῖν ⁷⁶³

mvp-comment-571-4 ἐν οἷς ⁷⁶⁴

mvp-comment-571-5 μάλιστ’ ἂν ἀλγοίην ⁷⁶⁵

mvp-comment-572-1 πρόσθεν τε ⁷⁶⁶

mvp-comment-572-2 οἰκείοις ⁷⁶⁷

mvp-comment-573-1 νοσοῦνθ’ ⁷⁶⁸

mvp-comment-574-1 οὐκ ἤθελες θέλοντι ⁷⁶⁹

mvp-comment-574-2 προσθέσθαι ⁷⁷⁰

mvp-comment-575-1 ἦ ⁷⁷¹

mvp-comment-575-2 μεστὸς ⁷⁷²

mvp-comment-576-1 ἐξεώθεις κἀξέβ ⁷⁷⁴

mvp-comment-577-1 τοῦτ’ ⁷⁷⁵

mvp-comment-578-1 πόλιν ⁷⁷⁶ γένος ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-579-1 μετασπᾶν ⁷⁷⁸

mvp-comment-579-2 σκληρὰ μαλθακῶς λέγων ⁷⁷⁹

mvp-comment-580-1 αὕτη ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-580-2 τίς τέρψις ⁷⁸²

mvp-comment-580-3 φιλεῖν ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-580-4 τοσαύτη ⁷⁸⁴

mvp-comment-581-1 ὥσπερ ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-581-2 τις ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-581-3 τυχεῖν ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-582-1 ὧν χρῄζοις ⁷⁸⁸

mvp-comment-583-1 ἡ χάρις ⁷⁸⁹

mvp-comment-584-1 ἆῤ ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-585-1 καὶ σὺ ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-586-1 λόγῳ … τοῖσι δ’ ἔργοισιν ⁷⁹²

mvp-comment-587-1 καὶ τοῖσδ’ ⁷⁹³

mvp-comment-588-1 πάραυλον ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-589-1 κακῶν ἄνατος ⁷⁹⁵

mvp-comment-589-2 τῆσδ’ ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-589-3 ἀπαλλαχθῇ ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-590-1 ταῦτα … τάδ’ ⁷⁹⁸

mvp-comment-590-2 χώρας ⁷⁹⁹

mvp-comment-591-1 τοσοῦτον, ἐνθανεῖν μόνον ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-591-2 ἐνθανεῖν ⁸⁰²

mvp-comment-592-1 σαφεστέρων ⁸⁰³

mvp-comment-592-2 κλύω ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-593-1 τὸ σὸν … στόμα ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-593-2 ὑπόβλητον ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-594-1 πολλὴν ἔχον στόμωσιν ⁸⁰⁷

mvp-comment-595-1 κακά ⁸⁰⁸ σωτήρια ⁸⁰⁹

mvp-comment-596-1 If οἶδα is right (as it seems to be), μή can hardly be explained otherwise than by emphasis, i.e. by the strong assurance which the speaker expresses. But what form should the partic. have? (1) With the MS. πείθων , the sense is:

In 656

οἶδ’ ἐγώ σε μήτινα

ἐνθένδ’ ἀπάξοντ’ ἄνδρα

appears to be a like case of strong assurance. Cp. O. T. 1455 . In 1121 there is another: . Here, however, is so far stranger, that the emphasis appears less appropriate in stating the speaker's consciousness of what he himself is doing. (2) The v.l. πείθοντ’ , extant in at least one MS. (F), removes this objection. (3) πείσων would be liable to the same remark as . (4) πείσοντ’ would complete the parallelism with 656, but is not required by the view, which applies to past (1121) or present as well as to future.—Another view is that μή gives a quasi-imperative force: This might apply to 656. Here it is much more difficult, esp. if we do not adopt : in 1121 it fails.

mvp-comment-596-2 With

for the imper. would explain μή (cp. on 78

): and we may note that in O. T. 376 the MSS. changed into . But the context confirms οἶδα .

mvp-comment-596-3 In later Greek

with partic., in regard to fact , was common, as Luc. Dial. Mort. 16 ; where , though it might be paraphrased by , virtually= . In Mod. Greek the partic. always takes , not . This latter tendency may conceivably have affected our MSS.: e.g. may have once stood here.

mvp-comment-597-1 εἰ τερποίμεθα ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-598-1 Which of us do you consider the greater sufferer by your present attitude? Me, because I am not to bring you back? Or yourself, when you reject your friends and country?

mvp-comment-598-2 δυστυχεῖν ⁸¹¹

mvp-comment-598-3 ἐς τὰ σά ⁸¹²

mvp-comment-598-4 ἐν τῷ νῦν λόγῳ ⁸¹³

mvp-comment-599-1 Creon had said, in effect,

Oed. rejoins,

mvp-comment-600-1 φύσας ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-601-1 λῦμα ⁸¹⁵

mvp-comment-601-2 τρέφει ⁸¹⁶

mvp-comment-602-1 Cp. O. T. 545

(Oed. to Creon).

mvp-comment-603-1 ἐξ ἅπαντος ⁸¹⁷

mvp-comment-603-2 εὖ λέγει ⁸¹⁸

mvp-comment-604-1 τὸ καίρια ⁸¹⁹

mvp-comment-605-1 ὡς δὴ ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-606-1 ὅτῳ ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-607-1 πρὸ τῶνδε ⁸²²

mvp-comment-608-1 ἐφορμῶν ⁸²³

mvp-comment-608-2 For με followed by ἐμέ , cp. El. 1359

, where is not more emphatic than . So in Tr. 1171

κἀδόκουν πράξειν καλῶς· | τὸ δ’ ἦν ἄρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν θανεῖν ἐμέ

, where there is no contrast between and some one else: Ant. 292

ὡς στέργειν ἐμέ

: Ph. 299

τὸ μὴ νοσεῖν ἐμέ

, where the stress is on the verb, not on the pronoun. And so here, too, it may be doubted whether ἐμέ conveys such an emphasis as would be given by an italicised — implying a reproof of meddlesomeness. The stress is rather on χρὴ ναίειν : Apollo has brought him to this rest (89).

mvp-comment-609-1 This passage, which has been variously altered, appears to me to be sound as it stands in the MSS. Oedipus has undertaken to speak for the men of Attica (

). Creon refuses to identify him with them, bitterly reminding the Theban that his real ties are elsewhere. : i.e. The words mark the point at which he drops persuasion. He now turns to menace. (meaning, to himself, cp. on 148

), —an aposiopesis. (Cp. Il. 1.580

εἴπερ γάρ κ’ ἐθέλῃσιν Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητὴς

ἐξ ἑδέων στυφελίξαι· ὁ γὰρ πολὺ φέρτερός ἐστιν

: Verg. Aen. 1. 135

Quos ego …

)

mvp-comment-609-2 μαρτύρομαι ⁸²⁴

mvp-comment-610-1 ἀνταμείβει ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-610-2 πρὸς ⁸²⁶

mvp-comment-610-3 οἷα ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-611-1 τῶνδε συμμ ⁸²⁸

mvp-comment-612-1 ἦ μὴν ⁸²⁹

mvp-comment-612-2 κἄνευ τοῦδε ⁸³⁰

mvp-comment-612-3 λυπηθεὶς ἔσει ⁸³¹

mvp-comment-613-1 ποίῳ σὺν ἔργῳ ⁸³²

mvp-comment-613-2 σὺν ⁸³³

mvp-comment-613-3 ἀπειλήσας ἔχεις ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-614-1 τὴν μὲν ⁸³⁵

mvp-comment-615-1 τάδε ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-616-1 The τήνδε γ’ of the MSS. could be retained only if μου were changed to καὶ and given to Creon.

mvp-comment-616-2 οὐ μακρ. χρόνου ⁸³⁷

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸν ἀσεβῆ ⁸³⁸

mvp-comment-618-1 θᾶσσον ⁸³⁹

mvp-comment-618-2 εἴργασαι ⁸⁴⁰

mvp-comment-619-1 ὑμῖν ⁸⁴¹

mvp-comment-619-2 ἂν εἴη ⁸⁴²

mvp-comment-620-1 ποῖ φύγω ⁸⁴³

mvp-comment-620-2 θεῶν … ἢ βροτῶν; ⁸⁴⁴

mvp-comment-621-1 οὐχ ἅψομαι ⁸⁴⁵

mvp-comment-621-2 τῆς ἐμῆς ⁸⁴⁶

mvp-comment-622-1 τοὺς ἐμοὺς ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-623-1 — 886 The phrase

indicates the moment at which Creon lays his hand on Antigone. It is followed by 11 verses, 833—843, in which the dochmiacs of the Chorus, blended with iambic trimeters, mark excitement. Antistrophic to these are the 11 verses, 876—886, which in like manner follow the moment at which Creon lays his hand on Oedipus. As a lyric interposition in dialogue, the passage has a kommatic character, though it does not constitute a proper in the same sense as 510—548, 1447—1499, or 1670— 1750.

mvp-comment-624-1 ἀφήσεις ⁸⁴⁸

mvp-comment-625-1 εἰς βάσανον εἶ χερῶν ⁸⁴⁹

mvp-comment-625-2 εἶ ⁸⁵⁰

mvp-comment-626-1 εἴργου ⁸⁵¹

mvp-comment-626-2 μωμένου ⁸⁵²

mvp-comment-627-1 πόλει ⁸⁵³